The Farm Fresh Rhode Island Farmers Market Program Coordinator reports directly to the Food Access Program Director. This role is responsible for coordinating vendors, market maps, and community programming at all Farm Fresh RI farmers markets, which include the Providence year-round market and Neutaconkanut Park, Woonsocket Thundermist, Central Falls, Armory Park and Broad Street seasonal farmers markets.
Farmers markets are at the heart of Farm Fresh RI’s efforts to increase healthy food access in Rhode Island’s low-income communities while providing increased economic opportunities for RI farmers. Creating and managing farmers markets was one of Farm Fresh RI’s first undertakings as an organization. Since 2004, Farm Fresh RI has gone from managing one seasonal market to eight, and started RI’s first Winter Farmers Market in 2007, which has grown to be our year-round market, with the largest wintertime season in southern New England.
The Farmers Market Program Coordinator is tasked with overseeing all aspects of vendor engagement for Farm Fresh RI markets including the application processes, upholding market rules and regulations, managing layouts, and soliciting program feedback. Additionally, the Farmers Market Program Coordinator will work closely with the Food Access Team to coordinate events and activities to enhance community engagement with Farm Fresh RI markets.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Farmers Market Vendor Coordination & Management
- Manage seasonal farmers market vendor application and selection processes including updating and launching applications, performing field inquiries, communicating acceptances, and confirming vendor participation.
- Maintain updated database of all vendor contact information including billing, administrative and staffing contacts.
- Draft and manage rotating vendor schedules for seasonal markets. Ensure vendor absence and rotation dates are updated within internal schedules and documents.
- Update, share, and enforce seasonal vendor handbooks policies in partnership with Food Access (FA) Program Director.
- Coordinate and execute annual farm visits for FA-involved farms in partnership with other Farm Fresh programs.
- Establish vendor feedback systems (interviews, surveys, etc.). Summarize vendor feedback seasonally and propose recommendations for program changes for following seasons based on vendor feedback.
- Field and confirm interested civic groups and musicians scheduling requests for markets.
- Write weekly wintertime market vendor update email and field ongoing vendor questions throughout the season.
- Schedule and facilitate pre-season and post-season vendor meetings for Providence Market and other markets as needed.
- Help resolve any disputes that arise between vendors and consumers, other vendors and management, in partnership with FA Program Director.
Farm Fresh RI Farmers Market Programing & Events
- Co-Manage the winter season (Nov-May) at the Providence Farmers Market on Saturdays including supervising site setup, load-in, load-out, and clean up.
- Personally manage 1–2 seasonal summer markets as directed by FA Program Director.
- Coordinate planning and execution of seasonal special events and activities for summer and winter market seasons in partnership with FA Program Director and team members.
- Draft and manage vendor placements within seasonal market maps for vendors and partners.
- Draft market event outreach and communications content for newsletters and social media and submit to Communications Director on a weekly basis.
- Work with Food Access Program Team to develop outreach and marketing materials and support seasonal outreach activity planning and implementation as needed.
- Support ongoing community relationship building and feedback initiatives, and attend community meetings acting as a representative of Farm Fresh Rhode Island and the Food Access team.
Food Access Team General Support & Admin
- In consultation with FA Program Director, assist with new program planning and execution.
- Support responses to market program email inbox and markets voicemail.
- Provide input into agendas as well as participate in meetings with external partners involved in Farm Fresh Food Access programming, as appropriate.
- Assist with Food Access program data entry as needed.
- Support special vendor trainings for projects as requested by Food Access Program Director.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Needed to Perform this Role
- Excellent professional communication skills (written and verbal).
- Great attention to detail.
- Self-starter and ability to maintain a self-motivating attitude.
- Ability to collaborate and work as part of a team.
- Excellent time-management skills.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office and Google Suite.
- Ability to prioritize and handle a variety of assignments simultaneously in a vibrant work environment.
- Must be able to collaborate and work on cross program and departmental teams and efforts.
- Must be able to build relationships with people from varied cultural, economic, educational, racial, and religious backgrounds.
- Must maintain a customer service orientation while considering solutions and interacting with external partners.
- Must be willing and able to work a flexible and changing schedule including evenings and weekends (evenings as late as 9pm and Saturdays 7am-3pm).
- Must hold a valid driver’s license or have access to reliable transportation to transport program materials. (Business miles will be reimbursed.)
Candidates with any of the following skills will be prioritized:
- Spanish speaking or non-English language skills
- Deep understanding of communities in Providence, Pawtucket, and Central Falls
Physical Demands (Physical, Mental & Environmental)
The following capabilities are required in order to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations that do not create an undue burden on the company are available to address the following requirements.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit/stand for long periods of time at a desk; use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls on computers; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear in meetings and on the telephone or on the computer in an office or variable setting.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
- Employees must be able to bend, lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
- Ability to travel, which may include travel via car, train, airline, overnight hotel stays.
Benefits
- Annual salary range of $37,000- $41,000 commensurate with experience
- 15 days of Paid Time Off (PTO), 12 paid company holidays, plus 3 annual floating holidays annually
- Monthly contributions to flexible health, dental and life insurance plans
- Annual professional development credit and opportunities
- IRA matching contribution after 2 years of employment
How to Apply
- Please send your resume and cover letter Attn: Cara Mitchell to [email protected] with a subject line: “Farmers Market Program Coordinator.”
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications received by October 7, 2022 will be prioritized.
- No phone calls or drop-ins please.
Organizational Information
Farm Fresh has grown briskly since achieving 501c3 nonprofit status in 2007 — to capture the public interest in locally grown food and translate it into sales for local and regional farmers and producers. Strongly mission-driven, Farm Fresh RI hosts a variety of programs to enhance the local food system, with particular attention on farm viability and low-income access to fresh food. Farm Fresh also operates a range of marketplace programs (retail, wholesale, processing, gleaning) that engage and connect local eaters with the farmers and food producers of Rhode Island and the New England region.
Mission: Farm Fresh Rhode Island is growing a local food system that values the environment, health, and quality of life of the farmers and eaters of New England.
Vision: A New England region abundant with diverse family farms and fertile soils, with locally and honestly produced foods and flavors at the heart of every dinner table.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment for all employees. We encourage enquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our organization. Farm Fresh RI does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment or programming. Farm Fresh Rhode Island is an Equal Opportunity Provider.